Gowna hold on to U20 crown with win over Ramor

U20 Division 1 final

Gowna 0-10

Ramor United 1-5

Paul Fitzpatrick at Sheelin Park

Gowna rounded off the year on a high as they completed a four-in-a-row of U20 Division 1 titles with a merited win over Ramor United.

In difficult conditions, this game was close throughout but Gowna, who were hungrier on breaking ball and used possession better, deserved their win, with their back-line particularly impressive.

Gowna won this title in 2023 and had won the previous two under the Southern Gaels banner in conjunction with Lacken. Notably, Laurence Brady (joint manager of the winners with Sean Pierson) has now won four U20 titles as a manager to add to his four U21 medals as a player with the Gowna men.

Ramor will rue some poor shooting – they had 10 wides – and a tendency to over-play the ball, eschewing point-scoring chances to hunt for goals particularly in the first half, which did not work out, although several of those misses came under pressure from a disciplined Gowna defence.

That rearguard unit was instrumental; Gowna’s win was built on the ageless principles of honest hard work and resolute defending and they came up with some very good scores, too. The champions were missing five first-choice players in Daire Madden (suspended), Fionn Hartin (out of the country) and the injured trio of Darragh McConnon, Caolán Madden and Shane Donohoe.

The winning side also started with eight minors and only four of those who saw game time are overage next year, which bodes well for the club going forward.

Gowna started well with an excellent long-range point from their captain, DJ Madden. Ramor were creating chances at this stage but were unable to take them, with Anthony Monaghan denied by Gowna goalkeeper Dylan McKeever and Matthew Smith off target with the resulting 45.

Odhran Madden won and converted a free to nudge Gowna into a two-point lead but Ramor hit the front with a stunning goal on 12 minutes when, after good work from Shane Keenan, James O’Hara soloed through and sent a rocket to the roof of the net.

Gowna’s response was exemplary as Mark Brady sent over a great score from 35 metres, getting his shot off in tight confines, and the defending champions would reel off three of the next four white flags in a key spell of dominance on the scoreboard.

Madden knocked over another free; Aaron Tynan set Karl Farrelly up for a well-taken left-footed point but Gowna again replied emphatically.

The resulting short kick-out found Seanie Hartin who laid off for the the outstanding Fiachra Brady to bomb over a brilliant point to make it 0-5 to 1-1.

Another Madden free followed; Ramor then tried to walk in a goal moments later and Christian Kermath actually had it in the net but ref Conor Dourneen ruled it out for a square ball as it appeared confidence was draining from the Virginia lads.

Gowna, playing with a slight wind at their backs, bagged another crucial point just before half-time when, after some pinball and numerous errors, they managed to grab possession on the right wing and Caolán Fitzpatrick sent over a huge point on the run.

That effort made it 0-7 to 1-1 at the break and while Ramor would draw level at one stage in the second half, their play was error-strewn, particularly when it came to passes in the final third, and there was never a sense that Gowna, whose defence was water-tight, were in trouble.

Matthew Smith converted two frees in the first 10 minutes of the second half but Ramor also recorded three wides in that period as the rain began to spill down.

In the 45th minute, Ramor came up with one of their best scores of the contest when a fast break out of defence saw Pauric Morgan and Anthony Monaghan combine and Aaron Tynan split the posts to make it 1-4 to 0-7.

But again, Gowna, showing impressive game-management, stifled the momentum and cancelled it out quickly when Cillian Brady did well to create a chance which Mark Brady finished.

That was an important score and Gowna soon added another when Fiachra Brady landed his second score after a lightning counter-attack following a turnover in the full-back line as touchline spectators dashed for a place in the stand to avoid the rain.

A free from Smith left it a one-point game again but Gowna had the final say with three minutes remaining when Caolán Fitzpatrick registered his second, this a spectacular effort when falling away to make it 0-10 to 1-5.

Both sides had wides in the closing stages but the goal Ramor sought never really looked like materialising as a well-organised Gowna defence held them at bay to ensure the cup will return to the lough shore for the fourth year in succession.

Gowna: Dylan McKeever, Devin Morris, Cillian Brady, Cian Halton, Seanie Hartin, Fiachra Brady (0-2), Dylan Corr, Eoghan Hartin, DJ Madden (0-1), Ciaran McConnon, Mark Brady (0-2), Caolán Fitzpatrick (0-2), David Simpson, Oisin Fleming, Odhran Madden (0-3f)

Subs: Cormac McEntee for David Simpson (40 mins)

Ramor United: Cillian Hagan, Jensen Tynan, Nathan Levy-Valensi, Martin Comey, Ryan Kelly, Christian Kermath, James O’Hara (1-0), Oliver McCrystal, Shane Keenan, Aaron Tynan (0-1), Matthew Smith (0-3f), Pauric Morgan, Karl Farrelly (0-1), Anthony Monaghan, James Brady

Ref: Conor Dourneen